COLUMBUS, OH – The Iona College men's basketball pushed top-seeded North Carolina to the brink in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling a final score of 88-73. Senior Rickey McGill put together a magnificent manifesto in his final game donning the Maroon & Gold, scoring a game-high 26 points and draining a career-best seven three-point field goals.

GAME SUMMARY

The Gaels came out of the gates blistering the nylon in Nationwide Arena. McGill hit his first two long range attempts and immediately the Gaels and Tar Heels began trading baskets. There were seven lead changes in the first eight minutes of the game and with 6:26 remaining before intermission, the Maroon & Gold were tied with the Tar Heels, 26-26.
 
Iona's offensive steadiness in the first half hit a crescendo with an 8-0 run that made the score 35-27. Junior Asante Gist and McGill hit back-to-back three-pointers and junior E.J. Crawford eked out a two-point bucket in the paint to sway the crowds favor toward the Maroon & Gold. North Carolina's Luke Maye ended the stretch with a bucket. After the opening 20 minutes, Iona entered the halftime locker room leading North Carolina, 38-33.
 
McGill was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in the first half. Gist hit three trifectas on five attempts. The Gaels as a whole shot 10-for-21 from deep. Iona shot 46.7% from the floor and 47.6% from deep. North Carolina did not have one steal or one block in the first half.
 
North Carolina shot 32.5% in the first half and made just three three-point field goals. No Tar Heel scored double figures before intermission. They had three assists on their 13 first half field goals.
 
The Tar Heels opened the second half with a reinvigorated offensive purpose. Cameron Johnson scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the second half, including the two-point bucket that gave North Carolina the lead for good, 42-41, with 17:59 remaining. The Maroon & Gold kept it within single-digits until Johnson hit a three-pointer which put North Carolina ahead by 11 with 13:10 left.
 
The Gaels trailed by as many as 20 as the second half wound down. The Maroon & Gold didn't have a field goal from the 14:25 point till 9:26.
 
Johnson's perfect 3-of-3 deep shooting was the foreshadowing of the entire second half. The Tar Heels shot 62.9% from the floor and 44.4% from beyond the arc over the final 20 minutes. Johnson, Maye and Nassir Little all had double-figures in the decisive period. Iona shot 32.0% and 25.0% from deep in the second.
 
Crawford finished the game with 10 points and four rebounds. Gist concluded with 17 points and redshirt freshman Andrija Ristanovic finished with 11 points and a team-best six rebounds. McGill's offensive surge was also accompanied by a game-high four steals. He had more steals than the Tar Heels did as a team.
 
With the win, North Carolina advances to play the No. 8 seed Washington Huskies in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, Mar. 24.
 
Iona finishes the season with a 17-16 overall record. It's 15-point defeat to the No. 1 seed Tar Heels is the lowest of any No. 16 seed this year. The average margin of loss for all for No. 16 seeds was 25.25 points.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• The Maroon & Gold's 15 three-point field goals are the most ever by a North Carolina opponent in its NCAA Tournament of 171 games. The previous record was 14 three-point field goals held by Weber State in 1999.
• McGill's performance is one of the greatest ever against the UNC Tar Heels in its NCAA Tournament history. His seven three-pointer is tied for the second highest ever by a North Carolina opponent. Greg Francis of Fairfield (1987), Jamie Mercurio of Miami OH (1992) and Glen Rice of Michigan (1989) hit eight three-pointers against the Tar Heels in their respective games.
• McGill is the first Gael to hit seven three-pointers in a game since Deyshonee Much '18 hit the mark against Marist (Feb. 8)
• Junior Tajuan Agee dealt with foul trouble the entire game. He played 19 minutes before fouling out and finished with nine points and five rebounds.
• Iona's 15 three-point field goals are its second-highest total of the season. It's season-high came against Monmouth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener on Jan. 3 in the Hynes Center.
• With the No. 16 seed Gaels leading the No. 1 seed Tar Heels at halftime, today marked the first time in NCAA Tournament history that two No. 16 seeds led after 20 minutes. Gardner-Webb led Virginia in their first round contest.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

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